外研社英语课文：Module 2 Great books

Hello, Betty. What's up? What are you doing in the library?

I was looking for some old copies of the school magazine. If I've got it right, it was called New Standard.

That's right. As far as I remember, it was started by Becky Wang.We don't have a school magazine any more. It's a pity.

Well, I'm thinking about starting it again.

Sounds like a good idea! Go on.

I was also looking for something by Confucius and by Shakespeare.

Really? That's a bit difficult for the school magazine.

Well, I'd like a monthly article called "Great Books"--- you know, someone reads a favourite work of literature and writes an article about it.

I see. Confucius' works are still read by many people today, and we're still influenced by his thoughts. And Shakespeare's plays are seen by millions of people every year. But how about an American writer, Mark Twain, for example.

I don't know. Mark Twain was an important writer, but he isn't known as a great thinker like Confucius.

No, but his books are still popular. In fact, he wrote my favourite book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Perhaps that's what makes "Great Books" --- they're still read today.

So why don't you write the first article on "Great Books"?

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Here is our monthly article on a favourite great book. This month, our guest writer is Mr Jackson.

My favourite great book is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Tom lives with his aunt Polly in the quiet streets of St Petersburg, Missouri. He's a lively and clever young boy, and he finds himself in many exciting adventures. He runs away with his two friends, Huck Finn and Joe, to an island in the middle of the Mississippi River for several days. With Huck he goes looking for treasure, with Becky he gets lost in a cave and finally, they find a box of gold.

My favourite scene in the book is when everyone thinks Tom is dead. He decides to go to his own funeral. He hides and watches for a time, and then suddenly he appears. Everyone is surprised to see him but they're also pleased to see him alive.

Tom is the hero of the story, but there are other important characters. Huck is an outsider and everyone is afraid of him. Becky is pretty with fair hair, Joe is Tom's best friend, and Injun Joe is the bad man of the story.

The themes of the story are to do with children growing up and becoming more serious. It describes how strangers are seen in small towns of America. Finally, it talks about freedom, social rules and how people are punished for bad behaviour.

Why do I think Tom Sawyer is a great book? Mark Twain wrote the story in 1876, but it's still read and loved by people all over the world today. And although it's only a story, Twain wrote it in the everyday English of the southern states of America in the 19th Century, so it sounds very real. Today it's thought to be one of the greatest books in American literature. Go on --- read it! I know you'll enjoy it, too. #p#分页标题#e#

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